


Heavier than a Crown

by umaspirateship



Category: Descendants (2015)
Genre: Character piece thing, D2fandomcountdown, Gen, Girl Power, Lonnie is nice to the VKs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-29
Updated: 2017-06-29
Packaged: 2018-11-20 23:17:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11345157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/umaspirateship/pseuds/umaspirateship
Summary: Mulan is the coolest disney princess. Everyone knows it. Lonnie is the most disappointing daughter. No one notices.Lonnie takes Mulan's life lessons to heart and fights the man. In her own way. By being a supportive friend.





	Heavier than a Crown

     Train hard, they said. A strong and compassionate mind is more powerful than a sword. Take a deep breath. Be yourself. Give no ground to the enemy. Do not be passive.

     Her mother had learned these lessons fighting for her life. For the lives of her countrymen.

     Mulan.   
  
     Mulan was everything Lonnie had ever wanted to be. She was beautiful and kind. She could tear her father apart with a single glance. Easily won everybody’s nomination for favorite princess, even though Mulan technically wasn’t one. Small children would dress up as her during festivals and chase the adults around claiming to be “keeping out the huns.” In their living room, a huge portrait of her parents hung on the wall, their triumphant grins glaring their way into every room.

     Mulan.

     The word felt strange in Lonnie's mouth. She had always just called her mom. She loved her mom, looked up to her. But sometimes the name was too much. Sometimes she wishes her mom was just her mom. As in, "Sorry, mom won't let me go to the party” without the additional, “We have training today." Lonnie lived to train – in the morning, during lunch breaks, during the semi-weekly “smashing the patriarchy” club meetings. _Train hard, they said._  
  
     As in, "Why can't you be more like your mom?"

     She heard that one a lot. When she got a little too hotheaded. When she started wearing pastel dresses around school. When she somehow managed to be too fierce and too fragile at the same time. Like, for instance, everyone was outraged that she wouldn’t try out for the tourney team, as if she had time for that. Just because she was a girl who was athletic didn’t mean she wanted to do all the sports. She didn’t even particularly like watching the games – she only came to support Ben, her closest childhood friend. Just because he was the one running around din’t mean she couldn’t still beat him to a pulp if she tried. They didn’t notice that, though. They saw her watching on the sideline and called her weak. _A strong and compassionate mind is more powerful…_

     And if she knocked people around with her sword every once in a while? It didn't gain her any favors with the other preppy princesses at Auradon, but it's not like they understood her anyway. _A STRONG AND COMPASSIONATE MIND IS MORE_ _POWERFUL THAN A SWORD_. She had to remind herself sometimes.  
  
     The weight on her head was not the weight of a crown.

     It was the weight of her ancestors. Mom. Dad. The ghost of her grandfather who had died trying to make the world safe for her and her friends.

     Why didn't they bring him back when they brought back Shan Yu?

     Yeah, yeah. Fairy Godmother’s “No Magic” policy. The one that left her family and her people out. Whenever an important festival came around (which seemed practically every week given the cheeriness of this hellforsaken place), Tritan would pull out his trident, Fairy G would give the wand a twirl, and you might even be able to get a wish or two out of genie. But Lonnie was stuck doing dances and sword fighting and chilling with her ghost ancestors. Which she loved. But not as much as she would have loved it if she didn’t have to worry every time a drought ruined their crops or a thunderstorm caused an avalanche in the mountains.  
  
     Also, what was with those Agrabah people who flew their flying carpets with no regard for the rules? _Take a deep breath_. _Be yourself_. She heard her mother’s voice say, “ _Give no ground to the enemy._ ”

     So Lonnie rebelled.

     It was quiet. No one noticed at first, not even when she tried to befriend “poor, stuttering, squeaking” Jane who everyone expected to do magical things but still be straight-laced and boring. Jane and Lonnie would sit in the back of classrooms and plot terrible curses they would put on the boys who had mocked their hair that day. Everyone said they lacked self confidence, but was it too much for Lonnie to ask for one less thing to burden her? It took everything Lonnie had to help Jane hold onto what little self esteem she had left. If she couldn’t be what everyone expected her to be at least she could help someone else. _A strong and compassionate mind is more powerful than_

     A sword. She was the first person Ben talked to when he asked the villain kids to come to the Isle. She listened, patient, then stood up, walking over to the window. Lonnie looked out at the Isle of the Lost and could almost see the faces of Mal, of Jay, Carlos, Evie, _take a deep breath_

     “Lonnie?” Ben asked, reaching out for her shoulder. She had gripped the handle of her sword without realizing it. “Do you think I did the right thing?”

     Lonnie turned to her future king, a fire in her eyes.

     “Why can’t we bring all of them to Auradon?”

     “What?” Ben asked, confused. His thoughts flickered to the girl with purple hair he still saw in his dreams. His parents had given in, eventually, persuaded by his level-headed thinking and quick diplomacy. Probably. But this was different. He didn’t plan for – “Lonnie what do you mean?”

     “I mean what would I have to do to get those kids off that island?”

     Because when she had looked at the Isle she hadn’t seen villain kids. And when Mal came striding out of the limo she didn’t she villain kids. She saw a person who shouldered all of the hopes and dreams of her parents. Audrey snapped back, jealous of their cool indifference. But Lonnie knew better. The weight on their heads was not the weight of a crown.

     She was the first girl to willingly speak to Mal and Evie. Give her this small rebellion, her friends said, let her see she is wrong. Lonnie was not wrong. She got her hair fixed and got a little revenge of her own on the headmistress’ stupid policy. Plus, she didn’t even need a sword to take down their emotional barriers, just acceptance. It was cheesy, but…

     It was just the kind of hero Lonnie wanted to be. Chin up. Smile. Give them unconditional love.

      _Do not be passive_.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks! Technically finished writing this on the right day -- just ten minutes before midnight. Hope you enjoyed. :)
> 
> Check out my Tumblr @umaspirateship  
> You're welcome for my consistent branding


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